Beauty & The Joker
by Hypnotized By Fate
Summary: A new game has started! Who would have thought that the foreigner would fall in love with the foul-mouthed warden? The role holders warned Alice to stay away from the Jokers & that they are very dangerous. The real questions are: Will she listen? Will Black develop feelings for her as well? What will happen in this twisted, new game?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Here is a story about Alice & Black Joker! I mostly read the manga, seen the movie but I have yet to play the game... Also, I do not know what the Joker's room look like so I'll just make something up. **_**A few things will most likely be out of place throughout, but, it's intentional. I will do my best to make sure the character's personalities are how they're supposed to be, but I make no guarantee's that it will be perfect/exact.**

**Please Review, thank you.**

**(STORY IS RATED 'M' FOR LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE & POSSIBLY SEXUAL CONTENT LATER ON.)**

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**DISCLAIMERS: I do NOT own Heart/joker/clover no kuni no Alice or the characters.**

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_**Chapter 1: **_

She was in the kitchen making some coffee for Julius Monrey- also known as the 'mortician'. Gray Ringmarc was also there with her, making hot chocolate for himself and his boss, Nightmare Gottschalk.

"Lord Nightmare is whining about how cold it is, he refuses to do his work.. Again.." Gray sighed, looking at Alice with his piercing, golden orbs. Alice carefully poured the hot coffee in a mug, "I'm sorry, Gray.. I wished he stopped giving you such a hard time," The foreigner replied, she knew Nightmare can be childish, especially when it comes to his work and going to the doctors.

It has been a few months ever since she came to Wonderland, and she decided to stay. The thought of how she was forced to come here against her own will made her grumble in annoyance, especially since a certain white rabbit had to do with all of this, not to mention, he had forced her to drink some strange medicine at the time.

Alice grabbed the mug, smiled and waved at Gray before she left the kitchen and headed back to julius's office where he has been working non-stop, fixing the broken clocks. She entered the room and walked over to his desk, setting the coffee down, smiling at the clock maker.

"Hn, Thank you.." He spoke, not taking his eyes away from his work.

The foreigner nodded but frowned as she took a seat in a chair on the opposite side from Julius, leaning forward slightly, "Julius, you should really take a break soon.. You haven't ate or slept for a few time cycles."

"I'm fine," He replied instantly, his nimble fingers continued to work on the delicate parts of the clocks, "I still have a couple more, I can't fall behind on my work."

The foreigner sighed, she was worried the clock maker would eventually collapse and die from working so much without any rest. She looked around for a moment before something caught her eyes; acrossed the room was a book that had been sitting on a small wooden desk. She had borrowed the book from Blood Dupre a couple days ago. Since she already finished reading it, the brunette figured its best to head out to the hatter's mansion and return it to him.

"Hey Julius," She stood up.

"What?"

Alice walked over to the desk, picking up the book, "I think I will go return this book back to Blood.." The brunette then placed a hand on her hip, "While i'm away, **PLEASE** get some rest! I'm really worried you'll collapse!"

"Hrm..." He stopped and looked up at Alice through his glasses, his deep, navy blue hair falling slightly over his eyes, "Be careful, Alice.." Julius said with a serious tone in his voice.

Julius knew the damn Hatter likes to taunt her, sometimes harassing Alice just for his own 'entertainment'. It always irritates the clock maker every time he finds out that Blood had done something absurd to her; sometimes, she would return from the mansion in tears..

Alice nodded, "I will.." She assured him.

The foreigner made her way to the door, but stopped to look at the clock maker one last time before leaving, "I'll be back soon, okay? Please don't overwork yourself... Goodbye, Julius."

After watching the foreigner exit the room, shutting the door behind her, Julius let out a big sigh and leans back against his chair, shutting his eyes for a moment. Its been months now ever since she came here, he still wondered why she chose to live here instead of heart castle or the amusement park. The hatter probably already offered her to stay at the mansion, but for her to refuse wouldn't be a surprise.

The mortician suddenly heard a small sqeaking, chattering noise, he opened his eyes and looked down at his desk. His eyes widened at what appears to be a furry, little squirrel sitting there staring back at him..

**"GRAY!"**

* * *

Alice was making her way to the Hatter's mansion, the cool breeze ran through her long chestnut brown hair. She suddenly stopped and observed her surroundings, realizing she had walked into an unfamiliar part of the forest. She continued looking around, staring at the many colorful doors and arrows pointing at random directions.

"Where.. _Am_ I?" She asked herself before sighing in disappointment, "I guess i'm lost.." Alice frowned, then decided to sit down for a moment to think. Leaning back against a tree, she began to wonder how she managed to get lost when she knew the way to the mansion. Something seemed different..

"Why the long face, miss?" Came a voice. The foreigner sat up straight and looked around the area, trying to find where the voice was coming from.

A tall man dressed in a jester outfit suddenly steps out from behind the tree that she was leaning against, he smiled and leaned down to her right ear, "Could you be lost, perhaps?" He whispered.

Alice jumped, immediately standing up and turning around to face the man. He had wine colored hair, wore an eyepatch on his left eye while the other eye shows that it was also, a vibrant wine color.

"Y-yes..." The brunette stuttered, patting down her blue dress and cream-colored apron before picking up the book, which laid next to her feet.

He chuckled before tilting his head to the side, "Forgive me for scaring you.. Perhaps I could be of some help? _My_ name is Joker."

"Nice to meet you.. I am Alice Liddell." She gave him a small, sweet smile, "I was.. Trying to reach the Hatter's mansion, but-"

**'Why the hell do you want to go to the Hatter's for, toots?'** Came a voice.

Alice raised an eyebrow and stared at the redhead with a confused expression, he smiled and stared down at the mask that was attached to his belt, "I apologize, young Miss.. That was my counterpart, Joker."

**'Tch, about damn time you introduced me, clown..'**

Alice stood there for a moment, looking at the mask then back at Joker, "Are you a ventriloquist? Your really good.. Except your act is kinda.. Nasty.."

**'What!? Are you an idiot!?'** The voice screeched.

Joker laughs and place his hand over the mask before another word could be said.

"..._Really_ nasty.." Alice said plainly, "Anyways.. Could you please point me in the right direction to the Hatter's mansion?"

The man lifted up his head, contemplating for a moment, "Hmm.. Hatter.. Hatter... Ah!" A grin soon appeared on his face, "Well, miss.. I can help, but first, you must beat me in a game of cards in order to change the season.. Only then, will you be able to reach the Hatters- or any other territories."

"Oh, thats right.. Nightmare mentioned about this earlier.. How each territories have different seasons.. And, the only way I can get to where I want to go.. Is by..." Her words trailed off before looking up at the jester standing before her, "Alright, I'll play."

"Wonderful! This way~" He gave her a smile that sent chills down her spine. His smile seemed a little off to her somehow.. There was something strange about this man but she couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.. But heck, this is Wonderland after all- What _isn't_ strange here?

He turned, heading back to the circus as she followed him from behind. Soon, the sound of circus music caught her attention, the smell of popcorn and sugary confections filled the air. Small jester children and circus performers ran around, a few were even practicing their acts. The foreigner looked around and smiled before bumping into someone in front of her.

"Oh! I apologize! I wasn't looking where I was walking..." She looked up.

The jester smiled before turning around, looking down at the foreigner, her large blue-green eyes staring into his single red orb, "No worries, Miss Alice~" He chirped, before walking over to a wooden table with a chair that sat outside a large tent.

"Now then, please have a seat. How does blackjack sound to you?" He asked, and with a snap of a finger, a deck of cards appeared. He proceeded by picking up the cards and shuffling them.

"Thats fine with me," She smiled and sat down on the chair, watching the jester.

Alice soon felt a strong, eerie tension in the air, sending chills down her spine yet again. The foreigner slowly glanced up at Joker, this time, his smile seemed more like a mischevious smirk. The look he had in his single eye made her very uncomfortable.

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed through the cold, dimly-lit halls of the prison. The warden walked down alongside the cells, glaring at the inmates who wore large, stuff-animal head masks. They flinched at the sight of the warden, either curling into the far corners in the back of the cell or stepping away from the bars, remaining quiet.

"F***ing ingrates.." He hissed, finishing up his round around the prison, checking to make sure every single prisoners were there.

Then, something suddenly came to his mind- The foreigner. Ah yes, this was the first time him and Joker have seen the foreigner that everyone in Wonderland so dearly loved. Even though he himself, has not met her in person yet, that will all soon change.

The warden was making his way back to his office, when he heard the sound of laughter through the mask that sat on his belt. He gritted his teeth then glared down at it with an annoyed look on his face.

* * *

"Darn, you beat me again!"

Alice laughed and smiled at the redhead. She was unsure of what to say since she didn't expect to beat him in every single round of blackjack. She stood up from the chair and picked up the book. "Well, that was fun.."

The jester nodded, "Ah, so what season would yo-"

Suddenly, the time period changed as the sky had darkened. The foreigner groaned, even though she was unable to return the book to Blood, she knew she had to at least head back to the tower, otherwise Julius would be worried.

"I have to get back to the tower.." She sighed, "I can return the book to Blood next time."

The jester gave her semi-concerned look, "But miss, its getting dark! Its dangerous to wander around in the forest at this time.." A smirk tugged on the side of his lips, "Please, stay here for the night, Joker and I wouldn't mind."

"WHAT!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND, JOKER!?" Came an angry voice.

Alice and the jester both turned to look as a figure stepped out of the large tent, holding a riding crop in hand with an angry look on their face. The brunette's eyes widen as she noticed the figure looked exactly like the jester, except, he was wearing a prison warden's uniform.. Not to mention, he didn't seem, nor looked, to be nearly as friendly as the jester himself. She glanced up at the jester, who had a huge smile on his face as he watched his counterpart make his way towards him, gripping his weapon in hand.

"Now, now, Joker! Don't be rude to our guest, it'll only be for one night," He snickered.

"I don't give a f*ck! She's not staying - You can escort her back to the damn tower!"

The Jester's gaze turned serious for a moment, "Excuse us for a moment!" He smiled at Alice before grabbing his counterparts shoulder, forcing him to turn around and pushing the warden forward so they were a few feet away from where the foreigner stood, "Think about it, Joker.." The jester spoke, a wicked smile formed on his lips, "We will have the foreigner in our hands, don't you find that interesting?"

The warden didn't reply, instead, he folded his arms acrossed his chest and glanced over at the brunette for a moment, throwing her a glare.

The jester chuckled, "I just thought it would be fun, don't you think? The foreigner everyone loves so much! Here with us!"

"What the f*ck are you up too, clown.." The warden turned his attention to his counterpart, narrowing his eye.

The jester grinned before placing a finger to his lips, "That, will be a secret~ You'll find out soon enough, Joker."

The warden rolled his eyes, "I swear, Joker, if she gets in my way and annoys the sh*t outta me, your a** is mine.."

Alice watched from afar, wondering what the two Jokers could be talking about. The warden seemed to be annoyed by his counterpart, who yet again, had that michevious grin on his face. Both men turned and walked back towards her.

"Good news, miss Alice! Joker here finally agreed to let you stay with us for the night." The jester said.

The warden glared down at the foreigner, putting away his riding crop.

Alice flinched under his glare, then spoke, "Oh, t-thank you..." She turned to the jester, "Are.. You twins?"

"Of course not, my dear! Joker and I are merely two sides on the same coin.. We are the same person - yet we are not." Said the jester.

She tilted her head, still slightly confused, "Is it alright if I called you 'White'?" She smiled politely at the jester before facing the warden, "And.. Can I call you, 'Black'?"

"Whatever.."

The jester nodded, "If that will make things easier for you, then sure."

A loud rumbling noise suddenly came from the foreigner. Her face turned red as she placed a hand on her stomach. It was dark and she hasn't had a meal since earlier that morning, she was indeed very hungry.

White laughed, "Well then, shall I show you your room now? Joker over here can get dinner started for us!"

"What!?" Black growled at the jester, but before the warden could open his mouth to say anything else, his counterpart had already led the maiden inside the large tent.

The scene around the foreigner and the jester soon changed, what used to be the circus was now the cold prison walls. She blinked her eyes a few times, wondering how they got here when she could of sworn they were just in the circus a minute ago.

"Welcome to the living realm, Miss Alice~ Or, the 'prison realm', if you will." White said, "This is where Joker works, and where we both live.. Now, let me show you your room, this way please."

White headed down towards the hall as Alice gripped the book in her hand, bringing it to her chest and hugging onto it tightly as she walked passed the cells where the prisoners were. They all stood up and watched the jester and the maiden in silence, the sight of them- especially while wearing those odd stuff animal masks, creeped her out. She gulped and continued walking alongside the jester, doing her best to ignore the prisoners gaze.

"Here we are!" White stopped at a door and reached his hand over to open it, revealing a large room.

Alice stepped in slowly, noticing the walls were black, there was also a small window and a large bed with black and red checkered blankets, accompanied by satin, red pillows. The brunette walked towards a black, wooden dresser that rested beside the bed and set the book down. She looked up at the mirror in front of her then turned to face White.

"This is a... Lovely room, t-thank you, White!"

He nodded, "We are happy to have you as our gue-"

"Joker! Get your a** in the kitchen! You better f*cking help me make dinner - I'm no damn housewife!" The warden yelled, startling both the jester and Alice as he turned to enter the room. Ignoring the girl, the warden grabbed his counterpart by the front of his shirt then dragged him out the door.

"Haha, sorry miss! Joker here doesn't like cooking, I'll come get you once dinner is ready!" The jester waved before shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Black continued to drag the jester into the kitchen, mumbling colorful words under his breath before letting go of White's shirt, "I hope your f*cking happy.. Now help me with dinner." He narrowed his eyes.

White smirked, "Come now, Joker! Be nice.. Who knows, maybe you'll end up liking her.. Or... Maybe you already do?" He teased.

"Tch! As if i'm like those f*cking role holders!" Black hissed, then turned to look at the frying pan sitting on the stove.

The warden had already been trying to prepare some food, the only reason he was willing to get dinner started was because after a long day, _he_ was also hungry. Black isn't much of a cook though, it was usually White that prepared the food.

"Who knows!" The jester chuckled and leaned back against the table, folding his arms across his chest, watching the warden.

Black growled in annoyance, turning to his counterpart and grabbing him by his shirt again, "Shut the f*ck up! Say another word and I'll kill you."

White was about to say something, until something else caught his attention; He began sniffing around, noticing the odd, but familiar smell in the air.

"Joker I-" He started, but was cut off by his counterpart.

"I said don't f*cking say another word!"

The jester tilted his head to the side, looking over the warden's shoulder. He blinked a few times, then pointed towards the stove, "Whatever you are making, Joker.. Its on fire."

Black turned to look over his shoulder, his eye widened in horror at the sight of the flames, **"FOR F*CK SAKE! THERE GOES THE DAMN STEAK! SH*T!"**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMERS:** I do NOT own Heart/joker/clover no kuni no alice or the characters.

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**_Chapter 2:_**

"T-thank you.. Black.." Alice spoke when the warden set down a plate of food in front of her before taking his own seat at the kitchen table.

Knitting her eyebrows together, she stared at the burnt piece of, what she would guess, was some sort of meat. White also joined the two for dinner, taking his seat before smiling sweetly at the foreigner and glancing over at his partner. Black had already begun eating; grumbling a few rude words under his breath about the little incident earlier in the kitchen, he was definitely still upset about burning the steaks, but more annoyed about his counterpart and what he had said.

Alice remained silent, looking over at Black for a moment, then turn her attention to the jester, who was trying to scrape off as much as the burnt, charred parts from the steak as he can with his knife.

"Is everything alright, Miss?" He asked, noticing she hadn't touched her food yet.

She gave him a sweet smile and nodded, "Y-yes!" Alice proceeded to pick up the knife and fork and started to scrape the char off the meat as well, "Thank you for dinner.."

"Your very welcome, of course I can't allow myself to take all the credit here!" White smirked and turned his attention towards the warden, "Joker, had also helped out as well, he has done such a _wonderful_ job with dinner~"

The warden threw his counterpart a glare, picking up the sarcastic tone in his voice.

Dinner was painfully quiet for the young maiden, neither White nor Black spoke a word as they ate, it made her shift around in her chair occasionally, but luckily, neither of the two Jokers had noticed.

Alice, had insisted on helping out afterwards by clearing the table and taking care of the dishes after dinner was over; It was the least she could do. The warden had disappeared for a moment before entering the kitchen again and taking his seat across from White; They decided to play a game of cards while they wait for the foreigner to finish.

The brunette was startled by a sudden loud 'bang' coming from behind her; Black had slammed his fists down on the table in anger.

"You **cheated**!" Black hissed, throwing his cards down.

"But, isn't cheating what _you_ do, Joker~?" White spoke in a sing-song way.

Alice watched in amusement as both Jokers continued their bickering. She had just finished drying the last dish and placed them back carefully in the cupboard before turning her attention back towards the two. How was White able to win playing cards against Black? She did not know, considering she had won every round playing against the jester, himself earlier. Could he be letting her win on purpose?

The jester yawned and picked up his cards, ignoring his counterparts threats, "I suppose I shall call it a night then!" He stood up and stretched before walking over to Alice, he leaned forward and smiled, his face just mere inches away from hers, "Goodnight Miss, I hope you sleep well tonight."

The foreigner was surprised at how close their faces were, staring right into the wine colored eye of his, a flush of pink appeared on her cheeks, "Yes, thank you.. Goodnight White, I hope you also sleep well!"

The jester straightened himself and nodded before leaving the kitchen, a smirk tugged on the corner of his lip as he turned at the corner and disappeared from sight. Alice's attention soon turned towards Black, she realized he had watched her and the jester the whole time. She immediately averted her azure eyes and looked down towards her clasped hands before her, trying to figure out what she could say to him.

The warden rolled his eyes before pushing himself up off the chair, "Get outta here and go rest, girlie.." he narrowed his eyes.

Alice looked up at Black for a moment, then nodded, "Y-yes.. Goodnight, Black!"

Black remained silent, his face expression still stoic as Alice gave him a small smile before taking off. He exhaled, slightly shocked that he had held his breath.

"No... I'm not like those f***ing roleholders.." He clenched his fists.

* * *

Morning came, the jester had already left earlier to take care of business at the circus, checking on the performers and preparing for the upcoming show that soon approached. The warden had finished up his usual round of inspecting the cells, making sure all the prisoners were there.

Alice, was also already awake and dressed. She wondered about last night when she made it back to her room after dinner, there was a lovely black satin nightgown that sat neatly on the bed for her. Was it White who found her a nightgown? Black? She shook her head lightly. She didn't know, but she was very thankful, regardless. The maiden opened the bedroom door and peeped outside for a moment before stepping out closing the door behind her and making her way down the hall, hoping she would find White or Black somewhere nearby.

She wanted to thank them one last time before leaving, after all, she still needed to visit the Hatter's mansion and return the book she had borrowed from Blood before heading back to the tower. Now that she thought about it, she wondered if Julius had listened to her about taking a break. A loud sigh escaped her mouth, she shook her head again and shut her eyes as the thought of Julius possibly collapsing from working too much, she was worried about him, yes. But, she also had to remember and be thankful that Gray and Nightmare were there, in case anything was to happen to the mortician while she was away, she could at least count on Gray to take care of the clockmaker as well.

"Julius.." She whispered.

Her thoughts immediately came to a halt when she had walked right into someone. The foreigner yelped in surprise and stumbled back slightly.

Black blinked and turned around, he narrowed his eyes and glared at her, "Are you f***ing blind or just stupid?" He snapped.

Alice flinched at his words before shaking her head, "Sorry, Black! I was just thinking about Julius earlier, I didn't notice you standing there.." Her voice trailed off.

Folding his arms across his chest, he smirked at her, "Worried about one of your many lovers, huh sl*t?"

Her eyes widen in shocked at his comment, "What? N-no! Julius is..." She looked down slightly, "He's like family to me.."

Black chuckled, "Don't even bother trying to lie about it, sl*t!"

The foreigner couldn't help but to grit her teeth and glare at the warden for his rude comment, "I'm **NOT** a sl*t!" She retorted.

"My, my... What is going on here?"

Black and Alice turned to see White walking towards them with a displeased look on his face. The warden narrowed his eyes at his counterpart, his tongue clicked, "The hell are you doing here, clown?"

The jester smiled brightly, "Well, I've missed you too, Joker!" He deadpanned, before turning to the foreigner, ignoring the warden's glare, "Hello Miss Alice! I hope you slept well last night? I thought I would take a break and come see how you're doing." White glanced at his counterpart for a second before turning his attention back to Alice.

Alice smiled sweetly at White, "Yes, I slept well, thank you! And.. I was hoping if you can show me the way out.. I would really like to be on my way as well.. I'm sure everyone must be worried."

The jester nodded before turning to point at the direction from which he came, "Just keep heading in that direction and you'll find yourself at the circus, I'll be there in a moment.." He gave her a fake, innocent smile, "If you don't mind, I need a word with Joker here- it wont take long."

Alice stared at White, tilting her head to the side slightly as she considered him for a moment. There it was again, his smile that seemed to send chills down her spine, making her both uncomfortable and a little curious. She felt the tension in the air, but decided it was best to listen to White. She nodded at the jester then turned and walked away from the two.

The jester watched as the foreigner disappeared from sight before turning to face the warden, his expression now serious, "And what exactly _is_ going on here, Joker?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, clown.."

White stared into his counterparts eyes, remaining silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh, "Hm.. I guess I was wrong then.." He laughed while shaking his head, "For a moment there, it seemed as if you _were_ up to something!"

"Are you f***ing out of your damn mind?" Black snapped.

White waved a hand at the warden as his laughter died down, "Very well, Joker.. I apologize for the misunderstanding then," He straightened himself up, "We can't afford to lose our chance in capturing Wonderland's beloved foreigner... The game has yet to begin!"

* * *

Alice sighed as she waited patiently outside the large tent, she had watched the performers run around, a few who were carrying a couple of props and other materials for what she believed, was probably for the show. Earlier, a few jester children had asked her to play with them, and so she did, but it wasn't for long until they had to return back to their tents and do more rehearsals, leaving her there to wait for White yet again.

White appeared from the large tent, he smirked at the sight of the foreigner standing there with her back facing towards him, unaware of his presence. He slowly made his way towards her and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Thank you for waiting.."

Alice jumped before turning around, "W-white! Don't s-scare me like that!" Her face grew red as she noticed how close his face was to hers yet again.

He gave her a small smile before reaching out and placing a hand gently against her cheek, brushing his thumb against her soft skin, "My apologies, Miss~" He purred, pulling his hand away.

Taking in a deep breath, Alice tried to calm herself down. She was very much aware of how fast her heart was beating now. White, however, only chuckled at her reaction, making her blush even more.

"Shall we head towards the forest?" He smiled, tilting his head slightly.

She nodded slightly before giving White a small, yet unsure smile, "I.. also, wanted to thank you.. And Black.. again.. For everything."

The jester shrugged his shoulders slightly, "Its our pleasure, Miss! We enjoyed having you here~" He chirped, "Now, this way young Miss! I'll show you where to go."

Alice proceeded to follow White out of the circus, "We will meet again very soon," The jester spoke softly as he walked alongside the foreigner.

* * *

The door was kicked open as Black stormed into his office, taking a seat in his chair before removing his hat, setting it down on desk. The warden growled and clenched his fists, still annoyed at what his counterpart said to him earlier. What made him even more angry was the fact that a part of him couldn't help but try to scare the foreigner away, hoping she'll never return here.

Does he find her amusing? _Yes._  
Is she annoying? _Yes._  
Does he want to capture her too? _Yes._

Why the hell he suddenly wanted to help the foreigner see past that damn jester's plastered smile, was beyond him. Why is he acting like this?

He sighed, running a hand through his wine colored hair.

* * *

The jester smiled as he waved goodbye to the foreigner. He told her they will meet again soon and she is welcomed back anytime, whether she came to just change the season or to visit. What had caught his interest, was when Alice had suddenly asked him about a nightgown on her bed the night before, she actually assumed it was him and thanked him for it anyways before she turned and left.

The side of his mouth began to twitch as she disappeared from his sight, he put his arm down as a wicked smirk appeared on his face, "I didn't know you found her a nightgown, Joker! How sweet of you!" He stared at the mask on his belt.

There was a long pause before a buzzing noise was heard.

**'Whatever.'** He said curtly.

White chuckles and shakes his head slightly before turning at his heel and headed towards the circus, "A new game will soon begin, my dear.. This will be fun!"


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMERS:** I do NOT own Heart/joker/clover no Kuni no Alice or the characters.

* * *

_**Chapter 3:**_

Alice continued her way through the forest, flower petals gracefully danced around her as the warm breeze blew; she smiled when the sweet smell of cherry blossoms filled her had changed the season for her with a snap of his finger before she left; she had decided to go with Spring. The young maiden couldn't help but to think about the two Jokers as she walk down the path White had pointed out to her. Before she left, she had thanked the jester for the nightgown she had found placed on her bed the night she stayed. The maiden found it strange that he stood there staring at her, remaining quiet for a moment before smiling at her. _White DID leave the nightgown, right? It couldn't possibly be Black, right?_ She furrowed her brows slightly as the questions flood her mind.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted.

"Alice, my love~!" Came the all too familiar voice from the one person whom she had hoped to avoid most.

"Peter..." She murmured bitterly before turning at her heel and quickly taking a step to the side when the white rabbit had tried to throw himself on her.

Peter's eyes widen as he fell forward, landing face first down onto the ground.

Alice placed her hands on her hips, showing not the slightest bit of sympathy for the white rabbit, "What are you doing here, Peter?"

He pushed himself off the ground quickly before facing her, his crimson red eyes filled with joy as they sparkled, "I came to see YOU, my pet~"

She raised an eyebrow, "...Shouldn't you be back at the castle, working?"

Peter smiled before reaching a gloved hand into his coat and pulling out an envelope, "Ah, but I am, my dear! I was sent by the Queen herself to give you this invitation to her majesty's next tea party."

Alice stared blankly at the envelope for a moment. When _was _the last time she saw Vivaldi? Now that she thought about it more, when _was_ the last time she left the tower and went to visit the other roleholders? She had been so busy lately, from helping Julius out- preparing his coffee, preparing food and making sure he got some rest, to helping Gray out with paper works and searching for Nightmare around the tower whom always ran off and hide, not wanting to take his medicine, especially being forced to go to the doctor's- **especially** the hospital.

"My love, are you not well?" Peter asked, leaning towards her more closely with a concerned look upon his face, placing a gloved hand on her forehead.

Alice snapped back from her thoughts, "I-... Yes.. Yes, I'm fine.." She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath, "I look forward to Vivaldi's tea party," she took the envelope from Peter's hand and forced a small smile at him.

The Prime Minister grabbed both her hands and held it close to his chest, his face still showed much concern and curiosity, "Oh, my dear Alice! I have missed you so.. Are you happy with your stay at the tower?"

"Yes, everything is fine, Peter! I just.. I've been so busy, I suppose... I just lost track of time."

"Haha, so that's why we haven't seen ya in a while, Alice!"

Peter and Alice turned their heads toward the direction where the voice had come from, a rustling was heard from behind the tree's and bushes, than out came a tall figure. The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes at the man approaching them before letting go of the foreigner's hand and grabbing his pocket watch, "Knave of Hearts.." He held up the large pocket watch as it suddenly transformed into a pistol in a mere blink of an eye.

"Ace!"

"Hiya Alice~!" He waved, completely ignoring the white rabbit and the gun that was obviously pointed right at him, "How have you been? Its been a while since I've seen ya!"

"I'm sorry Ace, I've just been so busy lately," She gave him a nervous smile as he stood before her.

"Busy, huh?" He held a hand up to his chin, looking up, "Hmm, busy? With Julius? What _have_ you two been busy doing, exactly?" A wide grin spread across his face.

"Do not fill my love's precious, innocent mind with such dirty, absurd thoughts, Knight!" Came Peter's angry voice.

Ace laughed, seeing how worked up the Prime Minister had become due to only his questions towards the girl. A hint of pink had tinted her cheeks, a mixed look of discomfort, confusion and embarrassment written all over her face.

"Aw~ come on, Mister Peter! Julius and Alice _must_ had been up to something naughty! Just look at her face!" Ace continued.

Alice was startled by the sound of a gun being fired. Peter had pulled the trigger, aiming straight at Ace. She turned her attention towards the knight, whom had somehow been able to reflect the bullet away from him and towards a nearby tree with his sword. The PM didn't seem surprised at all, but rather more annoyed. Ace narrowed his ruby-red eyes slightly, a smile still on his face; Peter clenched his teeth and began to fire more bullets towards the knight without warning.

* * *

"Hey, brother.. I'm bored.." Complained a boy with short ash-black hair, his light red eyes looking towards his twin brother who stood beside him, staring back with his light blue orbs.

"Yeah, me too..."

The sound of a gun firing soon caught their attention.

"Did you hear that, brother?"  
"Yeah, brother! Sounds like there's a fight going on up ahead!"

The twins glanced at each other, grinning while tightening their grips on their axes and running off into the forest, leaving their posts.

"This will be _way_ more fun!" Both boys said in unison.

* * *

"Peter! Ace!" Screamed the foreigner, trying desperately to stop them, unfortunately, Ace and Peter were far too focused on their fight.

"Sorry Mister Peter, but I'm way faster!" Ace closed in on the gap between him and the white rabbit.

Alice watched in horror when Peter barely got away from Ace's sword that was aim to slash acrossed his stomach.  
She balled her hands into fists, squeezing her eyes shut and inhaled before screaming again, "I.. I said S-stop!"

The sound of Peters' gun going off echoed through the forest again, followed by a couple of clashing sounds. Somehow it sounded... Different, compared to the knight's sword. A long pause of silence washed over before the young maiden slowly opened her eyes to see what had happened.

"Onee-san! Don't worry, we'll protect you!" The young boy in blue grinned, standing in front of her.

"Yeah! We wont let anything bad happen to our big sis!" The boy in red held his axe a little higher.

"Dee! Dum!"

"Tsk.." Ace clicked his tongue and examined his sword, making sure there weren't any flaws before his red eyes turned to the PM then towards the bloody twins who stood in front of Alice. He smirked, "Even if you two runts decided to team up with the PM, you still wont beat me!"

"Shut up, stupid knight! Brother and I can take the both of you!"

"Yeah! We can kill you and the rabbit!"

A grim expression fell over Alice's face. Of course they wouldn't stop fighting, they enjoyed this- minus perhaps the Prime Minister, who originally wanted to just kill the damn knight. Looking at Peter, he seemed like he was going to burst at any second, he was obviously very irritated.

The twins dug a heel into the ground, crouched over slightly before pushing themselves forward, gliding across with their eyes set on the knight. Ace grinned, gripping the handle on his sword, preparing himself for the twins attack. Dee held up his axe, preparing to swing at the knight when he suddenly jumped to the side. His brother appeared behind him and swung his axe downward at Ace while Dee's axe swung sideways, aiming at the Prime Minister who stood a few feet away.

Ace held up his sword and blocked Dum's blade, "Gotta do better than that to beat me, squirt!" He laughs, pushing the axe away roughly, then proceeded to swing his sword swiftly at the boy.

Peter jumped back avoiding Dee's surprise attack, he lifted his gun and began firing. Dee reflected the bullets with his axe and continued running and taking a couple more swings at the white rabbit laughing in amusement.

"Such nosey, troublesome worms! This was between the Knight and I! What part do you have in all of this!?" Peter hissed and ducked when the blade was swung acrossed his head, barely missing his white rabbit ears.

The PM jumped to the side before taking off in a sprint. He shot a few more bullets towards Dee and headed towards Ace and Dum.

"We don't care~! Brother and I were bored until we heard fighting going on here!" Dee reflected the bullets with ease and ran after the white rabbit.

"Stupid Knight! Stop dodging and die already!" Dum growled and watched Ace jump into the air, doing a back flip before landing on his feet, a twisted smile still on his face.

Alice watched in horror, she still had a hard time accepting the fact that the residents here didn't value their lives. She stood there- frozen, shaking in fear, her heart raced at the sight of her friends trying to kill each other for their own joy and amusement.

"Brother! Are you ready!?" Screamed Dum.

"You know it, brother!" Dee smirked.

Ace raised an eyebrow before taking a glance over his shoulder. Peter had stopped running and turned to face Dee, the PM stood behind Ace only a few inches away with Dee running towards the PM, his axe held high. The knight turned his attention back towards Dum, who also was charging towards him, his axe also held up in the air.

"Haha, how's it going, Mister Peter? I'd be glad to help you~" Ace chirped, holding his sword out with both hands at Dum.

"Fool! I never asked for your help! Go die-" Peter's eyes widen when he realized what the twins were trying to do, "We need to distance ourselves!"

"Na-uh, we got you both now~!" Both twins yelled in a sing-song voice.

Dum twisted around, lowering his axe to swing clockwise at Ace's legs. Dee did the same, only swinging his axe higher up at the Prime Minister's head.

"Thanks for your concern Mister Peter, but I can handle this!" Ace exclaimed, bringing his sword down to clash with the incoming blade of Dum's axe. Ace turned his sword at an angle, forcing the axe down on the ground, "Almost got us there, squirt! Nice try!"

"Brother! Get him!" Dum shouted, glaring at Ace who still had a stupid grin on his face.

Peter ignored the knight's comment, keeping his eyes on Dee while shooting away, hoping to land a hit on the little brat.

"Your mine now, stupid rabbit!"

"STOP!" Alice cried out; she fell onto her knee's, tears threatened to fall at any moment.

The sound of a machine gun being fired from a distant caught everyone by surprise; Ace, Peter and the twins immediately stopped and ducked down to avoid the showering bullets that flew across, right above their heads and into the tree's behind them.

"...I believe I made my point.. wouldn't you agree, Elliot?"

"Like hell you did, boss!"

Alice wiped her eyes quickly; the sound of footsteps halted beside her.

"Young lady, you need not to worry anymore.." Came a silky, deep voice.

Her head shot up, eyes widen at the man standing beside her, "Blood!"

Alice noticed a taller gentleman with a pair of fuzzy rabbit ears and gold-orange hair storming towards Ace, Peter and the twins, "Elliot!"

Elliott gave her a warm smile before turning his attention back to the four in front of him, narrowing his eyes at Dee and Dum, "Sh*tty runts! Didn't we tell you to not leave your post!? Quit skipping work all the time!"

Dee and Dum stood up and glared at Elliot, "Stupid chicken-rabbit! You can't tell us what to do!" Dee shouted.

"Yeah! We almost had them until you showed up!" his brother added.

Blood cleared his throat after helping Alice back up onto her feet, Dee and Dum immediately shut their mouths and lowered their head in defeat, not wanting to get into more trouble by their boss.

The march hare turned his violet gaze towards the knight, "How many times do I have to tell you!? If you can't read a map, then memorize the route!"

Ace laughs and sheath his sword, "Well, I figured I'd take a shortcut, but I somehow ended up here.." He shrugged, then waved his hand dismissively "I guess I'll be on my way then!" He turned, then stopped to glance at Alice and Blood standing on the side, "Nice seeing ya again, Alice! You too, Mister Hatter!" He smiled brightly at them before walking away, disappearing behind the tree's.

Elliott rolled his eyes before standing face to face with Peter, "And you, Prime Minister?"

"I came here to find my dear beloved~" He stated, "Until that idiotic knight appeared," Peter dusted himself off before his eyes met Alice's blue-green orbs.

"My pet~! Are you ok!?" Peter ran towards her, completely ignoring Elliot and Blood.

Alice immediately threw a death glare his way, "I think you should go now, Peter.." She said dryly.

"But-"

"LEAVE. OR I WILL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU EVER AGAIN.."

With a shocked, horrified expression, Peter nervously nodded, his ears drooped down as he sighed, "As you wish, my turtle dove.."

Alice sighed in relief as everyone watched the white rabbit leave.

The foreigner looked up at Blood, noticing his emerald-green eyes gazing back down at her, "Thank you, Blood.." She said softly.

"You are very welcome, young lady," He gave her a small, polite smile, "Did you come here to visit us?"

She nodded, "Yes! I actually.." Alice looked at her hands, then at the forest floor around her, "Oh no.. I'm so sorry, Blood! I was trying to return your book, but-"

"Onee-san~ Is _this_ it!?" The twins interrupted as they ran up to her, Dee held up a book in his hand, "We found it, onee-san! Does that mean we were helpful?" Dee asked excitedly.

"Yeah big sis! Tell us we're good boys!" His brother nodded.

Alice gave them both a big hug before taking the book, "Y-yes, you both were.. Very helpful.. Thank you Dee and Dum!"

"Yeah, we helped big sis!" Both boys shouted in joy.

* * *

"F***ing ingrate!" The warden shouted. He held up his riding crop and began violently beating a prisoner who had escaped earlier.

The jester stood a few feet away from the scene, his arms folded in front of his chest with a blank expression on his face as he watch his counterpart beat the living daylights out of the prisoner who yelped and groaned in pain, cowering in the corner of the prison cell.

"Hiya, Mister Joker! Ace here, reporting for duty!"

White blinked and turned his attention towards the approaching figure, "Ah, knight of Hearts.. Where have you been?"

Ace tilt his head to the side, a confused expression plastered on his face.

White frowned, he knew it's not surprising for the knight to show up late since he _is_ directionally challenged, after all.

"Where the f*** were you!? You're supposed to be here four f***ing time cycles ago!" Black spat, shutting the cell door before locking it and walking towards the two.

Ace rubbed the back of his head and smiled at Black, "Sorry about that, boss! I kinda got lost.. Then I ran into the PM and Alice in the forest~"

The corner of the jester's mouth twitched upward slightly, "Alice? And what exactly was she doing with the Prime Minister?"

The knight leaned back slightly, his hands on his hips, "Hmm... Last thing I heard, was how she lost track of time," he shrugged, "Not sure why Mister Peter was there, but we got into a fight- then those twins showed up!"

"Interesting.." He glanced at Black, "Don't you have anything to say about all this, Joker?"

Black narrowed his eyes at his counterpart, "Tch. She's a sl**, what do you expect, Joker? Nothing else needs to be said!"

* * *

Alice took a sip of her tea and smiled softly, she looked at Blood who sat to her left, then Elliott who sat acrossed from her, stuffing as much carrot cake into his mouth that was possible. Dee and Dum sat to her right, smiling and laughing as they made fun of Elliott and his love for carrots, pointing out that he was indeed, a rabbit. She couldn't help but to giggle when Elliott glared at the twins and argued, claiming he 'wasn't a rabbit', but a _dog_ with 'long, floppy ears'.

Blood set his teacup down, ignoring the three, "Young lady.." He began, turning to face her, "It's nice to finally see you again.. Have you been managing well?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, everything is fine! How about you, Blood? Have you been doing well yourself?"

The corners of his lips twitched ever so slightly, "I've been.. Busy- But well, nonetheless, thank you."

"Big sis! You should visit us more often! We were starting to think you hated us!"

"Mhmm, what brother said!" Dee nodded.

"Yeah, Alice.." Elliot added, "What have you been up too, anyways?"

"...I.. have been working hard, helping Gray, Nightmare and Julius out at the tower.. Then I noticed a book sitting on the side and remembered I had borrowed it from Blood a while ago.. So, I decided to return the book- I also got lost on my way here- then I met White and Black."

Elliot blinked, he turned to look at his boss, who frowned at the last sentence, "White and Black? Do you mean to say, you have met the Jokers in the forest?"

She nodded, "Yes, they are kind of... Strange.. But they seemed kind.. White had changed the season and showed me how to get here."

"Hey, Alice..." The march hare gave her a serious look, "You should avoid those two when you can.. Those guys are really dangerous, you know?"

"Elliot is right, young lady. If you find that you need to go elsewhere, please do consider taking someone with you- Even if it means taking that annoying white rabbit with you.." Blood rested his chin on his hand, "Its safer than going alone."

Alice sat quietly as she listened to Elliot and Blood. Were the Jokers really that dangerous? She wondered. She looked up and opened her mouth getting ready to speak, she stopped as something else immediately caught her attention.

Elliot raised his eyebrows in curiosity as to why the young maiden was staring at him, "Alice..? You okay?"

Slowly, she pushed herself up from her seat, reaching a hand over towards the march hare "El-elliot~.." Alice whispered, brushing her fingers against his soft, furry ears; her eyes lit up in sheer joy, "So soft!"

"Huh? Hey, Alice, what are yo- **OUCH!**"

The foreigner giggled as she continued to pet his soft, golden-brown ears, tugging on it occasionally.

"Ow ow ow! H-hey! Blood, help me! OW!" Elliot looked towards his boss with pleading eyes.

Blood took another sip of his tea, his brows slightly twitching as he watched the scene of Alice and his second in command.

"Hey! Thats not fair!" Yelled Dum, "Stupid chicken-rabbit hogging big sis all to himself!"

"Yeah! We wanna play with big sis too!" Dee whined, "Stupid chicken-rabbit!"

"I'M NOT A RABB- **OUCH!**"

Dee and Dum pushed themselves away from the table, rushing towards Alice and Elliot.

"Onee-san~ Play with us too!"

"Yeah! We want you to play with us!"

"OW OW OW! Alice, s-stop! Boss, help! My ears are gonna get _ripped_ off! AHH!" Elliot cried out.

Blood held his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose, then heaved a sigh..

* * *

White Joker wandered around his circus, checking to make sure everything was well and nodded to the performers who were taking a break from their acts. A few small jester children ran up to him as they laughed and smiled while tugging on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Joker, Joker! Will the outsider come visit us again!?" A faceless, jester child asked.

"Yeah! We want to play with her some more!" Another added.

White reached down to pat them on the head gently, "We will certainly see her again soon!"

The children cheered in joy before turning around and taking off. White chuckled and glanced down at the mask on his belt, "It's almost time, Joker.. Aren't you just as excited as I am?"

A brief pause, before a screeching voice was heard.

**'Of course, Joker! I want to see how well the damn brat does.'**

The jester grinned, "Mm, I do too, Joker~ We'll have her where we want her!"

* * *

Alice sat down in front of a large mirror, brushing her long silky hair. Blood insisted she stayed since it has been a while since they've all seen her. After the tea party, she went to play with the twins but decided to stop after Dee and Dum's game became a little dangerous. She had apologized to Elliot for nearly ripping his ears off- She couldn't help herself, his ears were just so darn cute!

The maiden sighed in annoyance, setting her hairbrush down when the thought of what happened earlier with her and Blood played in her mind. He had tricked her into going in his office with him, telling her about the new shipments of books he received just recently. Although he was telling the truth about the new books he had, the damn hatter had tried to make a move on her again. He had her pinned on his luxurious couch while she was reading, then he dared to go as far as to run his hand up her legs and plant kisses around her neck.

Alice shuddered. Luckily for her, she got away when Elliot came bursting through the doors with a few important documents in hand, which he claimed required his boss' attention immediately. Blood wasn't happy, but Alice was very thankful.

"I might not be so lucky next time.. I need to be more careful around Blood.." Alice mumbled to herself, staring at her own reflection in the mirror, "And they said that White and Black were dangerous.."

The foreigner stood up and walked towards the large bed. She switched the light off before crawling underneath the sheets, snuggling up against the soft pillows. Then, Alice noticed there was a strange, hard bump. Slowly reaching a hand underneath her pillow, she searched for the hard object when her fingers brushed against something.

"Wha.. What is this?" She asked herself before turning the light back on and took a glimpse at the square object she held in her hand.

The item was a fairly decent size, about three inches all around. It was completely black, but had an image on each side of the cube. Examining the unusual object, Alice noted the six, red images on each side.

"Heart, Diamond.. A Clover? And Spade..?" She raised her eyebrows when she turned the cube to look for the last two symbols, "A.. Skull..? And.." Her eyes widened at the last symbol, "Is... Is that.. A _Joker_!?"

The cube began to glow as it levitated above her hands. Alice watched closely as it seemed to have little one-inch cubelets in rows of three's which turned and rotated, mixing up the images.

_'A puzzle..?'_ She thought.

When the object had finished rotating, the glow had disappeared as it dropped back down into Alice's hands. She stared at the unusual item, not really sure what to think. Her thoughts were immediately interrupted when the light in the room began to flicker, catching her attention for a second before the whole place began to shake and the lights went out completely.

"Wh-Whats going on!? Elliot! Dee! Dum!... Blood!"

_'Great... I'm even calling out for Blood, now..'_ Alice sighed inwardly.

She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that everything will be fine once she opens them; she was wrong. Her surroundings were now completely black, she was no longer on her bed back at Hatter's manor.

"Elliot! Dee! Dum! Please tell me whats going on!.. I- I'm scared!" She shouted, gripping the object in her hands.

"...Alice?" Came a familiar voice.

The foreigner looked around before pushing herself up to stand, "N...Nightmare? Is that you?"

"Alice!"

"Nightmare! Where are you!? Whats going on!?"

"Alice, did you happen to pick up any strange objects?" Nightmare spoke, his voice echoed through the dark void.

Her eyes immediately went to the cube, "Y-yes.. I found this item.. Under my pillow.. Nightmare..? Please tell me whats going on! Where are you!?"

The area around her lit up with a swirling mix of colors as Nightmare appears in front of her, "Ah, there you are!" He smiled in relief. His single, deep grey orb soon spotted the puzzle cube in her hands, "I see.. So, a new game has indeed, begun."

"What?.. Whats going to happen, Nightmare?"

He sighs, shaking his head slightly, "Alice... You will have to play the game.. And-"

Nightmare was cut off when everything went completely black. A large pair of ghostly hands appeared and reached out from behind, grabbing him.

"NIGHTMARE!" Alice yelled out, trying to run after him.

The hands pulled the incubus in as the shadows wrapped around his body, he smiled faintly at the sight of the beloved foreigner trying to come save him, "I'm sorry, Alice.." Soon, Nightmare was swallowed completely by the shadows, leaving the foreigner behind.

"No!" She cried before falling to her knee's, hot tears began to stream down her cheeks, "Nightmare.."

Alice sniffled, wiping away her own tears with the back of her hands. She took a moment, trying to calm down, until the sight of that blasted puzzle cube she held onto, made her angry; with all her strength, the foreigner gripped the item and threw it as hard as she could and as far away from her as possible, hoping it would shatter or disappear.

"This.. Has to be.. A dream.." She panted, still in shock. The maiden was drained, afraid, confused and without any doubt, very upset.

Her head suddenly began to spin as a pounding headache caused her to groan in discomfort and pain. Alice's vision began to blur, and before she could think about anything else, she fell forward, laying unconscious in the middle of the dark void.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMERS:** I do NOT own Heart/joker/clover no kuni no alice or the characters.

* * *

_**Chapter 4:**_

_"...is..s..?"_

_"mis... re...ou.. wake..?"_

_"..**MISS!**"_

Alice's eyes immediately flew opened at the sound of the voice calling out to her. She blinked, taking in her surroundings; she was back at the Hatter's mansion and laying in her bed. Turning to the side, two faceless maids stood beside her - obviously concerned.

"Miss? Your finally awake! Are you alright?" Asked one of the maids.

"You have been asleep for quite some time, boss told us to check on you!" Said the other.

She pushed herself to sit up, taking another moment to look around. It was as if nothing had ever happened. Her eyebrows knitted together when she thought about what had happened; finding the strange puzzle cube, the lights going out, the darkness and Nightmare.

"Nightmare.." She mumbled.

"What was that?" One of the maids tilt her head to the side.

"N-nothing! I'm sorry, I must have been really tired.." She lowered her eyes, gripping the sheets tightly in her hands, "Did.. Something strange happened at all last night?"

The maids looked towards each other then back at the young maiden, "Nothing strange at all happened last night, Miss.. Are you sure your feeling well?"

She let out a small sigh, then smiled at the maids, "I-I'm fine! Thank you for checking up on me.. I'll go see Blood, soon."

The faceless maids nodded, returning her smile before turning away and shutting the doors behind them. Alice could have sworn everything that had happened was real. At that thought, she reached her hand under her pillows, searching slowly with caution to see if the object was there. To her relief, there was nothing.

"Maybe it _was_ a dream.."

* * *

"Hey, Boss!" Elliot waved towards the hatter as he steps into the large office, "You okay?"

Blood looked up from his paperworks, an annoyed and worried expression clearly written all over his face, "Elliot? Have you seen the young lady today?"

Raising his eyebrows, he fold his arms in front of his chest, "Hm.. Alice? I haven't seen her yet.. Is something wrong with Alice, boss?"

He sighed, setting his pen down, pushing his chair back before standing up. Elliot watched his boss, he was curious as to why Blood asked him about Alice; was she still not at mansion? Is she sick? He wouldn't really know considering he had just arrived after his boss sent him to take care of a few tasks earlier that day. Both men became worried, perhaps she was playing with Dee and Dum? No, if she was with the twins, it would have been obvious with all the noises and trouble they would have caused - not to mention their laughter and Alice constantly yelling at them when she found that the twin's game were becoming dangerous.

"I had sent two maids to check on the young lady earlier.." Blood began, "I wonder wh-"

Blood was interrupted by a gentle knocking on the door. Alice poked her head inside the office and sighed in relief at the sight of both men standing there.

"Blood! Elliot! Thank goodness your both okay!" The foreigner smiled and stepped into the office.

Elliot and the hatter stared at the maiden.

"Hey, Alice.. We were just talking about you!" Elliot took a step towards her, "We were wondering why we haven't seen you yet, boss was getting really worried."

"Sorry, Elliot! I... I had a difficult time sleeping last night.. I woke up not too long ago.."

Blood smirked, "Young lady, you know you are welcomed to find me here if you cannot sleep- I would have been _delighted_ to help you.."

Her eye twitched at his comment as her face grimmed. She definately picked up the hint in his voice; something dirty indeed. Coming from Blood, Alice wasn't surprised at all, though. Thinking back from when she arrived in wonderland, Blood had always been very... _Suggestive_. Alice still remembered clearly, the day Blood had tried to strangle her. Not to mention he accused her of being a w*ore, seducing the roleholders.

Even though she and the Hatter had tried to come to some sort of an agreement, there **are** still moments when things between Alice and Blood becomes so tense, the air around them grows so thick and unbearable, you could probably cut through it with a knife.

The march hare grinned at his boss' comment and nodded in agreement, "See, Alice! You can always come to us if anything bothers you."

Alice let out a small sigh, disappointed that Elliot couldn't detect the other, more dirty meaning behind Blood's comment, "Yeah.. Your right, thank you both.." She smiled nervously.

"I'm serious, Alice! If you ever need anything, let us know!" Elliot place his hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it for a moment before letting go and heading towards the doors, "Well, I gotta go check and see what those sh*tty runts are up too. See ya around, Alice!" He waved to her, then shut the doors behind him as he left.

Alice couldn't help but to smile at his comment, Elliot can be so sweet and caring. Though, she admits the march hare had her scared when she first met him along with Blood and the twins - but that was due to him wanting to shoot and kill her.

Sighing inwardly while clasping her hands in front of her, the foreigner began to think; _alright.. Now I'm alone with Blood... W-WAIT.. OHH, NO!_ Her mind began to scream at her to turn and run away.

"Young lady..."

Too late..

"I was beginning to believe that I would have to go wake you up myself.." Blood smirked as he approached her.

Alice felt a lump form in her throat as the hatter moved closer to her. She was becoming nervous and frightened, taking a few steps back in attempt to keep a good distance between Blood and herself; that had failed misserably when she felt her back touching against the book shelves- he had her cornered. Blood raise an ungloved hand to her cheek, stroking her soft skin while grinning in amusement at her expression. Blood knew he makes the foreigner uncomfortable, and he enjoyed every second of it. Moving his hand, he ran his long, pale fingers through her silky hair and leaned forward so his face was now at the crook of her neck.

She swallowed, clearing her throat as she began to speak, "Blood... S..Stop.."

"You've worried me quite a bit," He purred into her ear.

Alice could feel his hand traveling down along the curve of her slender body and stopped at the hem of her dress. Slowly, he ran his fungers up her legs, pushing her dress higher while placing hot butterfly kisses along her neck. Her mind was racing as her face grew hot.

"Blood! I... I said stop!" The foreigner shrieked before pressing her small hands against his chest and shoving him away from her.

The hatter let out a small grunt as he stumbled back slightly, his hand had gripped onto a familiar object. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the square item Blood was holding now; that damn puzzle cube, but how?

"So, what is this that you were hiding, young lady?" Blood chuckled in amusement as he held the cube in front of his face, turning it every which way to examine it closely.

The young maiden didn't know how to answer him. She honestly wished she wouldn't have too, but at the moment, she was afraid, confused, shocked and definitely at a loss for words.

"Young lady?" He glanced back at the girl, then the cube, "Perhaps If I.." He brought up his free hand, placing it on top of the puzzle cube before giving it a slow turn.

"Blood, Don't!" She shouted.

The puzzle cube began to glow, causing the hatter to raise his delicate eyebrows. The young maiden could feel her heart sinking as she watched the item glowing even brighter, a blinding flash of light causing her to shield her eyes with her arms.

"Blood!?" She called out.

The light vanished.

The foreigner lowered her arm to see the cube floating in the air, it began to twist and turn a couple times before falling back down onto the floor in front of the foreigner.

Blood was gone.

She was visibly shaking now. What is this strange item? This game? First, she lost Nightmare and now Blood? She shook her head and took in a deep breath in attempt to calm herself down. Now she knows for certain, this isn't a dream. Nightmare told her she has no choice but to play the game and win, yet Alice still doesn't know what the game is and _how_ to beat it. Who else could she go too and ask for help?

Taking a few steps foward she reached down to pick up the cube- it was warm. Then, it suddenly dawned on her: who else would know about these games besides Nightmare other than the Jokers? Even though they were never truly a part of the game, they surely knew just as much about these 'games' as Nightmare did.

"Black.. White.." She whispered before shoving the puzzle cube back into the pocket of her dress and turning at her heel, making a sprint for the doors.

The young maiden made it out the mansion and was about to head through the gates until three familar figures caught her attention: Dee, Dum and Elliot.

"Onee-san!" The twins shouted in excitement as they noticed her.

"Hey, Alice! You alright?" Elliot tilted his head to the side slightly; she looked a little pale.

"Dee.. Dum... Elliot.." She began, "Blood... Is gone!"

"What? But how? We didn't see him leave," The march hare said.

"Yeah, Onee-san, boss is probably taking a break somewhere," Dee grinned, "Can you play with us now? We're so bored!" He ran over to grab ahold of her right arm.

"Yeah, Big sis! We haven't seen you all day, play with us!" Dum chirped, also running over to grab her opposite arm. Both twins looked up at her with wide, bright eyes. Elliot groaned and shook his head, he approached them and grabbed the twins behind the shirt collar and began to try to pull them away from the foreigner.

"Get off her, worms!" He growled, then with more strength he pulled at the twins again; the boys gripped Alice's arms even tighter, trying not to loose their hold on her as Elliot continued to yank at them.

"Stupid chicken rabbit, let go!" Dee hissed.

"Yeah, what brother said! Let go! We saw Big sis first!"

"S-Stop!" Alice cried out.

Unfortunately for the young maiden, Dee and Dum continued to hold onto her for dear life as they argue with Elliot. The pain from being yanked around like some children's toy was making her feel even more uneasy and slightly dazed. To think things couldn't possibly get any worse, it does. The heat rising in Elliot's face made it very clear he was irritated. Gripping the back of their shirt collar as tight as he can, he pulled again more forcefully. Alice yelped as she stumbled and lost balance, falling and landing on her side. The boys gasped as they watched their 'big sis' fall and a cube suddenly slipped out from her pocket. Elliot released his grip on the twins, his eyes widen in shock and horror, "Alice! I'm.. I'm so sorry!"

"Big sis! We're sorry! Are you. . ." While Elliot helped Alice to her feet, the twins eyes were caught by a fancy little square object on the ground; their attention was now focused on the item.

Dee reached down to pick up the object, The twins eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement.

"Onee-san! Why didn't you show us this before?" Dum questioned, he and his brother turned to face the young maiden and the hare.

"No! Don't touch that!"

"Hey.. I didn't know you liked playing with toys, Alice!" Elliot snickered, reaching out a long, powerful arm and grabbing ahold of the cube.

"Elliot! Dee! Dum! Give that back to me befo-"

The twins furrowed their eyebrows, glaring up at violet-eyed man, not losening their grip on the cube, "Let go, stupid rabbit!" the boys growled as they try to pull the item away from the march hare.

"I'm not a rabbit, dammit! And this is Alice's toy, anyways!" Elliot argued before pulling at the cube.

Her heart was racing again as she watched the three. Alice shook her head and balled her hands into fists, she already lost two friends, she didn't want to lose anymore! Then, she noticed a bright glowing light. Extending her arm, she screams out their names as the object shone even brighter, forcing her eyes shut from the blinding light once again. The light vanished and the young maiden opened her eyes slowly.

She could feel tears threatening to fall at any given moment from the sight of the item falling onto the ground; her friends now gone.

Alice lowered her head as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She sobbed quietly for a moment before taking in a deep breath in attempt to try and calm herself down. How could she let this happen again? Where did they go?

She wiped away her tears with the back of her hands, then walked towards the mysterious object. "I'll beat this game," Alice whispered, picking up and shoving the puzzle cube back into her pocket "And I'll find a way to get my friends back!"

As quickly as her legs can move, Alice took off running into the forest.

* * *

"Well done, everyone!" White chirped, taking in the sight of the circus stage set up inside the large tent.

The jester and the circus performers had finished setting up the stage and rehearsing their acts over and over again, preparing for the show that soon approaches. Everything was perfect, the acts were sure to surprise and amaze the audience.

"Let's see..." White spoke softly to himself, tapping his index finger at his chin.

"Wh... White!" A familiar, feminine voice called out.

The corner of his lips twitched, turning into a mischevious grin. So, Wonderland's precious foreigner has finally returned. White chuckled softly - he knew, he finally had her where he wanted her.

"White!" Alice cried as she slowed down, stopping a few feet from where White stood; his back was facing her. She was panting heavily after running non-stop from the mansion, it felt as if her lungs and her heart could burst at any moment.

"Miss!" He tried to sound surprised, smiling brightly when he turned to face her, "How nice to see you again~ What is wrong?"

"White!.. You have... To help.. Me!" She took in another breath and reached into her pocket, pulling out the square object, holding it up for him to see.

"Where the f*ck did you find that?" Came another familiar, angry voice.

White folded his arms acrossed his chest. Soon, their surroundings wavered and darkened before the scene of the cold prison appeared. Alice blinked a few times and looked around before turning her attention back to White.

The Jester tilted his head to the side, "A new game has started?"

Alice gave a slight nod, "I.. Found this under my pilllow.. While I was staying at the mansion," she could feel her eyes starting to water again, "Nightmare and Blood! They're gone! Elliot and the twins, too! I don't know what is going on.. I was hoping you could help me?"

His smile widened.

"And why the f*ck should we help you?"

The foreigner looked around again, expecting the warden to appear at any given moment. Something caught her eyes as she turned to face where White was standing. A dark figure shifted around behind him before it took a step to the side, standing next to the jester.

"Black!" Alice gasped.

"Answer my damn question, girly!" The warden spat, "**Why** should we f*cking help you? What's in it for **us**?"

She stood there in silent - Alice was stunned.

The foreigner had ran all the way here, hoping the Jokers would help her, but it's obvious to her now, that Black and even the jester himself, definitely wanted something in return. She held the item close to her, staring down at it as the thoughts of her dear friends flooded her mind again.

"Be-.. Because.." Her voice quavered, "I want to save my friends.. What _do_ you want?" Her large, azure eyes were now fixed on the two Joker's.

White and his counterpart glanced at each other and shared a grin. "We know what the game is.. And we will help you," White said softly, "But what we want from you. . ." The jester stepped towards her.

"Is very simple..." Black smirked and approached her as well.

Both Joker's began to circle the young maiden, their eyes never leaving her.

"I want you to be my assistant at the circus~" White spoke in a cheerful tone.

"...And my maid here at the prison," Black nodded.

They continued to circle Alice, like two hungry wolves surrounding a helpless, innocent lamb.

"You will check the cells, clean-"

"And cook! Since _someone_ keeps burning the food~" White pretended to clear his throat, smiling to himself.

Black narrowed his eyes, glaring at his counterpart before glancing back down at the foreigner, "What we want most of all.."

White leaned forward, his warm breath against her ear sent shivers down her spine, "Is for you to move in and live with us.." He purred.

At those words, her eyes widened in shock, "But... I... I can't..."

The Jester pulled away, frowning at her, "Then I'm afraid you will have to figure this all out on your own, dear," He shrugged his shoulders, "I apologize, but Joker and I are _very_ busy, I'm sure you already know."

"Tch, goodluck getting the f*cking roleholders back," Black said bitterly as he turned and began walking away from her.

"I... No! W-wait!" Alice ran up to grab the arm sleeve of the warden's prison uniform, "I... I'll do it.."

The warden smirked before turning to face her. She had no other choices, the Jokers knew how to play the game and how to get her friends back. It made her angry and upset for sure, but perhaps living with the warden and the jester wont be so bad? "Just please.. Help me!" She pleaded.

White held out his hand to her, and for a moment she stared at him with her eyebrows raised, unsure of whether handing the object over to him was a good idea or not - especially after what had happened with the roleholders. Slowly, she approached him and carefully placed the puzzle cube in the palm of his hand.

"Interesting..." The jester spoke, raising a perfect brow. Then, without a care, he tossed the object high into the air.

"White!" Alice screamed, running after the item while reaching her arms out, getting ready to catch the falling object.

A hand suddenly reached out and caught the object.

She turned to see the warden gazing down at her, his single orb showing no emotions, "You have to solve each side of the cube," He spoke, holding the item closer to his face, examining it.

White nodded, "There are six images on there: Heart, Clover, Diamond, Spade.."

"Then there's the damn skull and the joker," Black finished, tossing the cube into the air again, towards his counterpart.

"For each side you solve successfully, something will happen - It can be anything," The jester sighed audibly as he reached up to catch the item. "Each side is something different; we may be sent to a different dimension or end up somewhere here in Wonderland - it's unpredictable... However, "

Alice is feeling pretty uneasy now; she never expected to see this side to White and Black - she knew there was _something_ about them - especially White, but the maiden never knew how _wicked_ the warden and the jester could be, and for them to toss the item around without a care in the world made her shift around uncomfortably as she listened.

"Avoid solving the skull until the very end," Black walked over to stand beside his counterpart, "If the image of the skull was somehow completed before the others, You'll loose another person - it can be anyone, except you, sl*t."

"Joker is right!" The jester proceeded by tossing the cube up and down in his hand, "That person will also be placed in a dangerous situation, whereas the roleholders who disappeared previously for messing with this item are simply being held as prisoners until you beat the game. Keep in mind, Miss, that you might even loose us!" He chuckled, "It should not be a problem to solve that last, as long as this puzzle does not fall into the wrong hands-"

"Or some _idiot_ doesn't know what they're doing and screwed things up," The warden narrowed his eye at the foreigner.

"Once the image of the skull is complete and the whole puzzle is solved, there will be _one_ final challenge - the toughest of all."

She nodded, "What about.. The image of the 'joker'?"

Black clucked his tongue, "Think of it as a 'wild card'," he reached over, catching the square item in mid air, "So, let's say we're trapped somewhere... The 'joker' will give us a way out, but we could end up being in the middle of a whole different situation or place."

Alice reached her hands up to rub her temples, trying to soothe the headache that threatened to grow worse as she tried to understand the Joker's explaination about how the game worked, "Okay, I think... I understand."

White snatched the puzzle cube from his partner's hand, "Very good then! What are we waiting for? We must hurry before its too late!" The jester stepped towards the maiden, then stood beside her.

She smiled at him unsurely, then turned to look at the warden with a questioning look on her face.

Black rolled his eye, "I have to stay here and watch over the prison and the damn circus!"

White placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "We will switch places once the other is exhausted.. Besides, we will be able to keep in contact!" He looked down at the white mask that sat on his belt.

Alice nodded again, she still had a ton more questions to ask, but its best she saved them for later.

"Are you ready, Miss Alice?"

Alice straightened herself, "Y-yes.. I'm ready, White!" Even though the maiden is nervous and very much afraid, she was glad that now, she at least had Black and the Jester to help her.

He hummed in amusement at her confidence. Pulling his hand away from her shoulder, White held up the puzzle cube in front of him and slowly began twisting the top and bottom, turning it over a few times before twisting the sides. Alice raised her eyebrows in disbelief; White obviously knew what he was doing as the image of the diamond soon started to come together.

"A turn here... And here.. Twist this part back, then bring the lower part back here and... There!"

The picture of the Diamond was complete.

The diamond-shaped image started to glow; Alice grabbed ahold of White's arm and shut her eyes when the light grew even brighter, devouring their forms. Black held up an arm to shield his eye as he watched his counterpart and the foreigner glowing like the puzzle item itself.

In a blinding flash, the light soon vanished - so did the item, the jester and Alice.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMERS: **I do NOT own Heart/joker/clover no kuni no alice or the characters.

* * *

_**Chapter 5:**_

Alice and White suddenly appeared in a forest. They were floating in mid-air, a few feet above the grass until the light which was surrounding their forms, disappeared, causing them to go crashing down.

"Ouch..." Alice groaned, slowly pushing herself up and rubbing the side of her head, "We're... Back in the forest?"

White slowly stood up and dust himself off, "Don't be fooled, Miss... Remember, we are in the middle of a game now." He said, picking up his hat from the ground and placing it back on his head, adjusting it slightly before scanning the surrounding area.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

**'Oi, Joker!'** Came a screeching voice, startling the two.

White and Alice turned their attention to the mask on the Jester's belt. "What is it, Joker?"

**'Where the hell are you two? Anything happened yet?'**

The jester look around again. He noted how deathly silent it was, as if they were at a graveyard. "We are in the forest, it seems... But something is... O_ff._." There were no birds flying or singing, the sky was dark, almost as if a storm could be coming soon.

There was a short pause before the warden replied, **'Keep your eye peeled, Clown...'**

White rolled his eye at his counterpart's comment - as if he didn't know that already. Turning to Alice he gave her a small smiled, "Shall we go see what is going on in town? Maybe we will find out what we must do along the way."

She nodded and the two began walking alongside each other, making their way through the trees and bushes. White narrowed his eye when he noticed a shadow dashing pass by through the trees from the side.

Something was _definitely_ not right here.

What annoyed him further, was the fact that the forest didn't seem to show any changes as they walked.

Alice shivered. It wasn't the cold that particularly made her uncomfortable, but she felt like someone was watching them. Glancing over at White, she noticed he kept a straight face as he walked, Alice wondered if he also felt they were being watched. _'Maybe I'm just paranoid..'_ she thought.

"Hey, White?" Alice started, "Do you... Feel like we're being watched?" She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms as they continued walking.

"Being watched?" He gripped the puzzle cube tighter in his hand and raised an eyebrow. The jester smirked when an idea popped into his mind; He snapped his fingers, as if realizing something, "Oh! I'll be right back, Miss! I should check and see if the circus might be nearby - it'll only be a while~"

"W-what!? White, wait!" Alice reached out her arm and headed in his direction.

The jester soon disappeared behind a few trees. If they were going to find out who their mysterious stalker was, they needed to bait that person and get them to come out - in other words, Alice will be the poor, defenseless bait. This would make things a little easier though, in a sense that the jester will have the element of surprise in his hands instead of their stalker. However, he still needed to keep a close eye on the foreigner, in case danger presented itself.

Alice will definitely be upset with him later on.

"White!" Alice yelled after the redhead, but it was too late.

White was gone from her view and she was left alone now in this creepy forest. She clenched her fists then. How could he just leave like that, she thought. What if something happened? He also had the puzzle item with him - why would he just suddenly disappear on her like that?

Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when rustling noises came from a nearby bush. A shadow jumped out and rushed past Alice from behind, causing the maiden to stumble slightly when she turned around, "White?"

There was only silence, no one was in sight.

"White..?" She called out again, a little more nervously this time. "This isn't funny! C-come out here, White!"

A faint but deep laughter echoed around her.

"Who... Are you?" The young maiden asked. Taking a few steps back, Alice looked around more frantically, trying to find where the laughter was coming from. She hoped this was only a joke the jester was playing on her, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case when a dark figure appeared up ahead, hiding in the shadows.

"You forgot about me already, Alice? That hurts!"

Her eyebrows shot up at the familiar voice, "A...Ace..!? I-is that really you..?"

The figure stepped out and approached her, walking towards the small open area where she stood. "Heya Alice! What are you doing here?" He grinned.

Upon seeing the short, brown hair and a pair of red eyes, the foreigner sigh in relief. Standing before her now, was Ace. He was wearing his usual uniform and red trench coat.

"I was... I thought I was..." Her voice trailed off. She couldn't ignore the fact there was this odd feeling from deep inside, nagging at her - telling the maiden that she was in danger.

"Where... Am I..?" The maiden decided to ask.

"You're in the forest, silly!" Ace laughed, "Did you get lost too? I have a great idea, why don't we camp out together?"

Alice eyed his face curiously, as if searching for something.

"Alice?" The knight called out, tilting his head to the side. "How about I start a fire for us?"

"N-no, that's alright, Ace! I was.." She lowered her eyes, clasping her hands in front of her, "I was just wondering where White went... I... Should go find him.."

His smile turned into a frown, a serious expression washing over his face, "White? You mean Joker? Alice, they're dangerous! Stay here with me instead..." He spoke in a low, cold tone that made the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

_'Something is different about Ace..'_

"I-I'm sorry, Ace..." She took a step back, "I.. I really have to go! Bye!" Alice turned on her heel, her mind was screaming at her to run.

Her breath got caught in her throat when Ace grabbed ahold of her arm. He roughly pulled her back against his body, wrapping both arms around her, preventing her from escaping.

"A-Ace!" Alice shouted and she struggled to free herself from him, "What are you doing!? Let go!"

"I have to protect you, Alice..." He said in a low, cold tone.

"N-no! Let me go!"

Ace chuckled and tightened his hold around her. Just as she was about to scream for White, she noticed something: since her head is pressed firmly against his chest, Alice did not hear the ticking sound of his clock. All she heard, was nothing.

The person hugging onto her, wasn't the real Ace.

"You... Y-your clock.. What happened to your clock? It's.. Not ticking..."

A wide grin spread across his face as he chuckled, "Well, there goes all my fun!" Ace tilt his head back and let out a laughter that seemed to be almost animalistic - growling noises could be heard from deep in his throat.

Pushing his arms over her head, she wiggled free from his grip and turned to face the man who claimed to be 'Ace'.

"Who are you!?" Alice squeaked, her heart began to race when he gave her a wry smile. She started backing away from him slowly, the vibrant red of his eyes began to glow eerily.

"I told you Alice, I am Ace.." He stared down at her. "But since you already know my _secret_, I guess there is no use in keeping this form..." Ace shrugged his shoulder, then tilted his head back and laughed again. The foreigner's eyes widened in horror when she saw fangs starting to appear in his mouth, his face and body began to deform and reshape itself into some wolf-like creature. Most of his clothes were torn to shreds, the sword he was carrying fell onto the ground as claws and brown fur began to appear when he hunched over, growling deeply.

Placing a hand over her mouth, Alice panicked.

The knight had transformed into some half human, half wolf-like being, one that she's heard and seen before, but only in books about mythical creatures. "W-wh..Werewolf!" The young maiden gasped and turned away, running in the opposite direction. "What am I supposed to do, I'm going to be eaten alive at this rate... White!" Alice yelled, her eyes began to water as she ran through the trees and bushes as fast as she could.

The foreigner then heard a loud, howling sound coming from Ace - he was hot on her trail.

"White!" Alice cried out, tears were streaming down her cheeks as she continued running. "Help me, please! Someone!" No matter which direction she turned too, everything was the same, there was no sight of town, the tower, or even the circus. She was not only lost, but trapped. Alice suddenly tripped over a tree's surfaced root, causing her to fall face forward onto the grass.

This was it, she thought. She couldn't save her friends and the damn jester had ditched her, leaving her for dead.

"Awww, poor Alice..." A low voice spoke, mocking her. The beast appeared and slowly circled around her fallen form.

She slowly pushed herself to sit up, "Someone... Help me..." She panted, her body visibly shaking from fear and shock.

"Don't worry, Alice!" The werewolf snarled, "This will all be over soon!"

Ace leaned back on his hind legs and launched himself towards her, his mouth wide open, his intense red eyes fixated on her throat. Alice squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath.

"Alice!" A male voice called out.

The sound of a whip being lashed out and a loud whimpering forced her eyes to open. The maiden noticed Ace was just a few inches away from her, he was laying on his side now with his eyes shut.

"Are you okay, Miss?" White asked, approaching her from behind and outstretched a hand for her.

She turned her head and glared up at the jester, "I almost got killed - no, I'm not okay!" She exclaimed. Still, she is relieved that he showed up right on time. Taking in a deep breath, Alice spoke again but more softly this time, "I don't know what happened... Ace just appeared, then he turned into _that_." She pointed at the werewolf before accepting White's hand and pulled herself up.

White quirked an eyebrow, "That's the directionally challenged knight?" He continued, "Interesting... I wonder what the rest of the roleholders will be like.." He mused.

"What!?"

"Shhh," White placed a finger on her lips, telling her to keep her voice down, "I cannot find a way out of here, unfortunately..." He frowned, pulling his finger away from her.

"...What are we going to do then?" She whispered.

A vicious snarling startled the two. Ace slowly pushed himself up, shaking his head and rubbing the side of his neck. He inhaled deeply, taking in all the scent around him before his eyes flew opened and immediately, his gaze were fixed on the two. Alice took a step back when Ace bared his teeth at them and growled.

"My, my... What big teeth you have!" The jester mocked, smirking at the creature as he gripped his whip tightly in his hand.

A faint buzzing was heard before a voice screeched out from the mask again. **'The f*ck is that!?'**

The jester narrowed his eye at the werewolf, then replied to his counterpart slowly, "That's the knave of hearts, Joker."

**'I know _that_!'** The warden screeched, **'I'm talking about the f*cking mark on his damn chest, clown!'**

White blinked, turning his attention to the creature's chest when he stood up high, practically towering over the two. Indeed, upon looking more carefully, there was a black, diamond-shaped mark on Ace's chest - it was hardly recognizable due to all the fur around it, but now that the jester saw the marking, he grinned knowingly.

"W-white.. What does the mark on his chest mean?" Alice mumbled, standing behind him.

Before the jester could answer, Ace rushed towards them with his arms stretched out, claws ready to tear the redhead to pieces. The jester held out an arm in front of Alice, telling her to stay back as he run up and started lashing out at the beast with his whip. Ace dodged the incoming attacks easily and laughed when White barely missed almost getting clawed across the face. The jester jumped back and landed gracefully on his feet, standing next to the maiden. He stared down the beast who now circled around them.

"What are we going to do..?" Alice asked.

"I believe the only way out.. Is to kill him," White answered, "I also have no power over the forest in this world... Running will prove to be useless." He sighed.

Alice tore her eyes away from the beast to look up at the redhead. His expression was serious, she has never seen the jester like this before. Staring back at the snarling half human, half wolf-like creature, Alice frowned. This Ace wasn't the real knight back in Wonderland, if they wanted to win this game, it looks like there was no other option left.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, Alice sighed and lowered her eyes. "W-white... I think we-"

"Alice - watch out!" The jester shouted over his shoulder. He turned on his heel and shoved her to the side, just before the claws of the werewolf came slashing downward. Alice made a terrible mistake, she let her guards down when she lowered her eyes, and that was enough to give Ace the chance to strike. Falling hard onto the ground, the foreigner winced and shook her head lightly, a little dazed at what just happened.

A warm, red liquid dripping onto her arm caught her attention.

"White!" She gasped, the liquid that trailed down her arm was the jester's blood.

White winced in pain as he gritted his teeth. Large claw marks ran down his chest from Ace's attack. He was able to push Alice out of the way just in time - if it had been her, she would most likely have been killed on the spot. Cursing the beast mentally, White glared at him.

_'He's much faster in this world...'_ White thought, gripping onto his bloody chest with his free hand.

"Sorry, Mister Joker," Ace licked the blood off his claws and ran his tongue over his sharp fangs, "but it looks like your time is up!" He pulled his arm back and jumped towards the jester, getting ready to strike again.

"I don't think so, knave of hearts!" White grinned wickedly and kicked the creature hard on the nose, forcing Ace to stumble back, whimpering as he rubbed his face.

"Its been nice playing with you~" The redhead held up his whip.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Ace snarled and rushed up to the jester again.

"Ah, but I am..." The whip in his hand glowed a bright red before it transformed into a pistol. Holding the gun out in front of the beast, the jester pulled the trigger and began shooting. There was no time to waste, especially with the wound White has on his chest now - he can't afford to get hit by the knight again. Alice watched from a distance as Ace dodged the bullets flying his way. He laughed and started slashing at the jester with his claws.

White jumped back, avoiding the swift incoming attack of the beast's claws. _'He's definitely much faster..'_

The jester leaned back as Ace's hand went flying past his face. The knight growled in frustration before pulling a hand back and delivering a quick, powerful blow across the redhead's face, sending him flying and skidding across the open field.

"No!" The maiden shouted, pushing herself to her feet and running to the jester's side. "White!" She crouched down and slipped an arm behind his neck to help him sit up. White opened his single orb and furrowed his brow at the sight of Ace coming right towards them again.

"Is that all you got, Mister Joker?!" Ace roared up in laughter, "I'm disappointed!"

"A-ace! Stop!" The foreigner yelled.

"Miss..." White said, "let's.. Move to the next part of the game, shall we?" Holding up his gun, the jester aimed it towards Ace and waited. White was quickly growing tired due to the large gashes on his chest, it caused him to lose a good amount of blood. If he can't get this one shot to hit the diamond mark on the beast's chest, the game would be over - _everything_ would be lost.

Alice felt her eyes burning as tears ran down her cheeks again. Hugging the jester, she turned her attention to the werewolf. Ace jumped high into the air, stretching his arms towards them, his mouth wide open.

This was it, the foreigner thought as she squeezed her eyes shut, "W-white!"

A wide grin spread across the jester's lips.

With the pull of the trigger and a loud _bang_, the creature's eyes widened when he realized where the bullet had hit. Ace fell hard onto the grass, landing close to their feet. Sighing in relief, White looked at Alice who still held him tightly for dear life; she was shaking and her eyes were still tightly shut.

Chuckling softly, the jester held up his gun which then vanished into thin air. "It's over now, Miss~" He chimed.

Alice opened her eyes slowly and looked at Ace. He laid there, unmoving in his own pool of dark blood - almost running black. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head.

"Is he...?"

Struggling slightly, White stood up and helped Alice onto her feet. "We finally got him!"

**'F*ck, clown!'** The mask screeched,** 'took you long enough to kill the ba*tard!'**

White laughed softly, "Sorry, joker! He moved much faster in this world.."

**'...Whatever, don't just stand there! Get your asses moving! Your hurt!'**

"White...?" Alice spoke.

Turning his attention to the foreigner, he tilt his head to the side.

"You shot him.. Is.. Is this how the rest of the game supposed to be?" The expression on her face showed a mixture of confusion, fear and anguish.

He gripped the front of his blood-soaked shirt, then gave her a curt nod. "This... Is how the game works, dear!" He explained, "I don't know what - or whom, we might face next, we could get sent back to the real Wonderland with an odd task, or we may end up in another place, somewhere..."

"D-does that mean.. We might see more fake roleholders? Like this Ace here..?"

**'Well, no sh*t!'** The voice shrilled again,** 'listen here girly, they might not all turn into some crazy beasts, but you'll never know! This game is unpredictable, remember?**'

"Joker is right..." White agreed, "always remember that we are in the middle of a game, Miss Alice.. I know your worried about the roleholders, but in this game, one mistake can prove to be fatal.." His wine orb cast downward, gesturing toward the gashes on his chest. "We can't trust anyone else for the time being - There's only you, Joker and myself now."

"I... I understand.." She whispered.

This is all a game, Alice reminded herself. White got hurt while trying to protect her and this was only the beginning. What could be next? Will they end up running into a fake Blood Dupre that transformed into a vampire? Or maybe they'll meet the real Boris Airay who turned into some psychopath killer? Shaking her head at the thought, she sighed. Then, a faint light from beneath their feet caught their attention. The foreigner raised her eyebrows and watched as the white light took shape of a large, glowing diamond.

"Haha! That means we have officially beaten this part of the game!" White nodded. Suddenly, he inhaled sharply and groaned, clenching the front of his shirt tightly. His vision was starting to become blurry.

"Oh, no - White!" The foreigner tried to support him up.

"Let's hope the next place we end up will have a first-aid kit, hm?" White pulled the hat off his head.

Alice tilted her head to the side as she watched him reached into his hat and began searching for something. What could possible be hidden in that silly box-shaped hat of his? Was this a magic trick?

"Ah!" His eye lit up when he grabbed a hold of whatever it was he was searching for. Pulling his hand back, the maiden's eyes widened when the redhead held out the puzzle cube. So, that was where he kept it hidden.

Pulling his hat back on, he turned his attention to Alice. "Are you ready to move onto the next round, Miss?"

Inhaling deeply to calm her racing heart, she spoke softly. "Yes... We need to find you some bandages and get you treated.."

"Your just so sweet," White lowered his face closer to hers, "I could just... Eat you up right now." He grinned.

Alice felt the heat rising in her face upon hearing those words. Even when he's injured, White still had it in him to tease her like this. She furrowed her brows and stared at him pointedly, "W-white, we really need t-to get your wounds treated!"

**'The sl*t is right, clown.. Your still f*cking bleeding!'**

Alice sighed and thanked the warden mentally. Staring at the puzzle item in the jester's hand, she noticed something. "Wait.. Where did the 'diamond' go?" She pointed at the item.

Examining the cube, the redhead hummed, "The image of the diamond must have disappeared when we beat this round.." He mused. "Well, Miss... Hang on tight - we might be falling in mid-air again when we arrive at our next destination."

Alice hesitated, but slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging the jester. She lowered her face, hoping he wouldn't see the blush that tinted her cheeks.

Grinning, White held up the puzzle item and started turning and twisting the parts around again. "Hmmm... Let's go for... 'Heart'..."

Rotating and twisting a few parts forward and back, White turned the bottom part one last time before an image of the 'Heart' was complete. The diamond beneath their feet glowed even brighter as it became distorted, then shaped itself into a Heart.

White smirked as he wrapped an arm around Alice. Only a few more rounds and the foreigner will be in their hands, he thought. He was starting to like this girl.

In its usual, bright, blinding flash of light, they disappeared again.

* * *

"Ace here, reporting for duty!"

The warden cringed inwardly at the voice. Turning around, he was faced with the knave of hearts who saluted him while grinning like an idiot. He blinked his single wine orb, thinking about what had happened with his counterpart and the foreigner not too long ago.

"Watch over the prison while I go check and see how the circus is doing.." The warden ordered, narrowing his eye slightly.

Ace pulled his hand down and tilted his head to the side, staring curiously at the redhead, "Is something the matter, Mister Joker? You don't look too good!"

Black gritted his teeth, "Nothing's the matter! Just f*cking do your job, knight!"

"Are you thinking about Alice?" Ace's smile widened when the warden glared at him, "It's okay to like Alice, Mister Joker! Everyone does!"

Grinding his teeth, the warden tightened his grip on the riding crop, "What did you say!? Why, you-"

"I should probably get going now, shouldn't I?" Ace said as he rubbed his chin, "Gotta check and make sure none of the prisoners escaped!" Ace flashed him another smile before turning away and waving his hand dismissively in the air, "See ya around, Mister Joker!"

Black watched as he disappeared around the corner, whistling a happy tune as he went. Letting out a loud sigh in annoyance, the warden glanced down at the mask on his belt, wondering if the two had made it to their next destination. His counterpart was also injured and growing exhausted quickly; they will have to switch bodies soon, in order to keep up with the game.

_'Alice..'_ He thought. That's right, it was all thanks to her carelessness that Joker got hurt.

The prison walls around him darkened and distorted before the circus appeared.

Black mumbled a few colorful words under his breath as he walked around, checking to make sure everything was in order. Then, he remembered something: just a while ago, the clown was about to kiss the foreigner, wasn't he?

* * *

A flash of light vanished as Alice appeared, sitting in total darkness.

"White...?" The foreigner whispered, reaching her hands out in front of her to feel around for anything. What is this place? All she knew was that she's sitting in perhaps a small cart of some sort with a metal bar in front, holding her down.

She felt something beside her shifting around.

"Miss?" White spoke.

"White! Are you... How are you doing?" She asked and moving her hand out to the side, relieved to feel he was sitting right next to her.

The jester felt a tiny hand suddenly patting and feeling the side of his face, "Could be worse," he chuckled softly, "Where did we end up now? It's so dark here..."

"I'm not sure... This seems _familiar_ to me somehow..." Alice replied, "but thank goodness we didn't fall out of the sky, right?"

White was about to open his mouth to speak, until the sound of screeching metal caught his full attention. The cart they sat in started to move, causing the jester to raise an eyebrow as to what was going on. Soon, he spotted a light up ahead as the cart seemed to be pushing them up towards the light on the end of, what he would assume, was a tunnel.

"Wh-... White..."

"What is it, dear?" He turned to face her, but only saw complete darkness. The jester winced as the burning sensation on his chest reminded him of his current condition.

"I-I think I know where we are..." The foreigner said, a hint of fear was present in her voice.

"Oh?"

A bright light caused them to shield their eyes; they had finally reached the end of the tunnel as the squeaking, metal wheels on the cart slowed to a complete stop. The jester and Alice pulled their arms away, wanting to take in the view of where they had appeared.

Both their eyes widened upon noticing where they were.

"We're at the amusement park..." She spoke, a grim expression now clearly seen on her face.

They were pretty high up in the air, judging by the nice view. It was a warm sunny day, the sky was clear, they could hear faint noises of people and music from down below. Then, when looking down, the redhead pressed his lips into a fine line once he realized they were on a roller coaster ride.

They gasped when they heard the screeching of the metal wheels again.

"White!" Alice threw her arms around the jester and screamed from the top of her lungs when the roller coaster carts suddenly dropped them straight down. "AHHHHH!"

White gripped his hat with one hand and held tightly onto the metal bar with the other. He mentally cursed their current predicament as they went down the tracks of the roller coaster in lightning speed.

* * *

**A/N: Hello lovely readers~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, thank you to those who took the time to read & review! Your comments really pushes & motivated me to write and update this story! I had a difficult time writing this chapter, probably because of everything else going on in my life - my brain is being crushed by homework & such. I was listening to _'KoRn - Coming Undone'_ & _'As Blood Runs Black - Instinct'_ when I wrote the fight scene - nothing big, just needed to get the blood pumping.**

**Now that the jester & Alice have arrived at the amusement park, what will happen this time? All I can tell you is: White will be switching bodies with Black in the next chapter & more roleholders will be making their appearances as well ;)**

**Thank you for reading, I hope all of you are doing well~ Please review.**

**~Hynotized By fate**


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